Draft gear



April `9, 1935. D. F. sPRoUL DRAFT GEAR Filed-Feb. 27, 195s 2 sheets-sheet 1 D. F. SPROUL April 9, 1935.

DRAFT GEAR Filed Feb. 27, 1933 2 Sheets- Sheet 2 p l., l 1,997,472 l pRAFToEAn 1k e l ,l vDonaldlk SprouLChicago,I1l.,assignor to` Cardl ,1 welllpWestinghouse,,(Jollrlpany,v a corporation of` Delaware .n-f p y f 1 "l Applicatiollfebruary 1933, Serial l`\To."l65`8, 7`19` l, n l Y fclaims. reims-+38) l p The nyention relatos to' draft gearsof the type ,''h'ellengthrof lthe base of each of the blocls21, in'jwhich the spring `elements are carriedrfby a 28,is preferably the saine as the combined length transverse :rod and cooperate with laterally movaof the Ablocks 23, 24. The vend portions of the ble wedge-blocks; jj 1 vj. blocks2'l',128, are flattened, vas shown at 29, and -5 Its'oblects'are tosimplify gears of this' type and seat against the inner transverse walls of the folf '5 Increasesthen*l durabllT/Y: f j lcwerelementsuponfullcornpressiom `whereby 4A preferred embedlment'OfV the `invention is these lateral wedge-bloeksalse function asfliznit-g` hereinafter'described, and is illustratedin the acing`stops` j j l l Companying drawings; in which Y ,Y "l springrod extendsl'transverselyf through i Flefl ma deta1l plan of thefdevlce, slome 0f its the gear and the sills I0, the wedge-blocks 21, 28, 10 parts and DOIIOHS 0f 2' Gal" fllllle belllg Sh0W I1 andthesills being apertured for their accommodaln sectlon, the gear beine shown `1n release pesltienthe apertures in the sills being elongated, as 151011,; Y A l y indicated at 3l, to provide for lateral movement F1a.` 2 1S e detellleentral transverse Seetlon: of the rods. The bosses 25, 2t,` are spaced apart i5 Fig. 3 iS a VleW Similar t0 Fig. 1, the gear being to clear the rod, and the side walls` 22 `of the fol- 15 odor full Compression? f e lower `elements are slotted for the same purpose,

Figs. -iand 5 are views in perspective of the as indicated at 32 l l We ferme 0f Wedge-Meeks employed in the de- A; pelr ef nelieel springs as, 34, eremeunted V106` upon the end portions ofthe rod 30, outside of the 0 A pair 0f `draft SillS are Shown at l0, "Lend sills lo, and reeel, between spring seats, esas, 2o,

alfe Pmi/.idoli With draft andbllfng lugs l', l2, sleevedupon the rod and bearing` upon the outer with which the gear cooperates. The gearcomfaceswof the blocks 21, 28, and spring seats 36,

l'll'lsos a pall' of folloWol elements l3" l l Wlloh in the form of nuts, applied tothe outer ends of preferably take the form of hollow casings and the ma are identical in form. Each of these followers The top, and bottom WaalsA |9 20, and Side Wang 25 45 ing bosses 25, 26, which project above and `below comprlsesa transverse wall l5, having an in#- 22 of the follower elements are somewhat shorter `Wal`dly faomg Surface and a foar, Wall lo ollgago* than theV combined overall length of the wedgeable with the draft 0r bufllne lugsand Sustaining creeks 23, .24, andthe length of the wedge-blocks aplesslll'e ln the onelnstance of the Coupler butt "21', 28,and' do` not, therefore, make contact upon ll and lll the other of tho Yoko lsv full compressionof the gear, as plainly indicated 30 `These follower elements further comprise inin Fig. 3. These walls constitute `the weakest i Wal'dly proJoolmg top allo ool'tom Walls 9 20 portions of followers of the chambered'type, and which are centrally longltudmally channeled, as

in the gear as described the overload istransshown at 2l, to provlde guide-ways for certaln of muted to and through the, rearward end p0,r

the wedge lelements of the gear; and alsoA with tions `of the followel elements, which are made forwardly proJectmg side walls, as` 22, which amply Strong to carry them strengthen the structure.`

\ l 1 w The wed etfeeessi ef the bleeks 23, 24, ter-` Seated against the inner surface of eachof g r, r minate short of the bases and a exes of these l A `the follower elements is a double facedwedgeblocks, as indicated at 38" A39, anl re of Such block 23, `2ll, the Width of the bases of these blocks being `somewhat less than the`` interior Width of the follower element and their vertical dimensionbeing approximately that of theinte` rior of the follower chambers. These blocks 'are pro-vided with top and bottom forwardly projectlap `them on full release and full compression, thereby avoiding the formation, by wear, of shoulders adjacent :the ends of these faces. Upon full release of the `gearthe parts are relativel ly positioned as shown in Fig. `1. ,45

i f Upon compression of the gear either in draft the wed e-blccks, such` extensions bem carried y ,l l l. back to tie base of the block and serving gas `guides 91' buff one of the followers lsadvand" andvf'lllh, cooperating with the channels 2l. The extreme lt the double faced Wedge'blqck seated? aga'uloll length of the two Wedge b10cks 23 Mmcmdmg its inner transverse face. Tins advance carries .5o their bosses 25, 26is such that when they make folWalld alsor the Wodgofblooks 2l 28 Sproadlllg 50 contact they serve as limiting stops and carry lllom apart doy tho oolljollll? aotlon of tllelWo Wholly or partly the overload l blocks 23,24, against the resistance ofthe springs Apair of laterally disposed double faced wedge- 3,3, 34-` 'Ifhe rod `3015, .al'lell forwardly With blocks 21, 28, are interposed between theA blocks the `wedge-blocks `21, 28.` Upon full .co1npres-` 55 23, 24, and cooperatefwith their Wedge faces.V sion of the gear the fOIWaI'dly DIOjeCllg'bOSSeS length that the faces of the blocks 21,28, overl` 2' o 25, 26,2612 the wedge-blocks 223, 24, come into contact, and the blocks 21, 28, engage the transverse walls of the follower elements, through which the overload is' transmitted directly tothe sills. `If desired eitherof the twok limiting means may be relieved of that duty by being shortened, but by utilizing both the load is distributed over the entire area of the followers. In either case the side Walls of the casing, which arelv necessarily comparatively light, are relieved of 'the duty of sustaining the overload. I claim as my inventionl. In a draft gear, in combination, a pair'I of stop-engaging `end plates, top 'and bottom plates extending forwardly fromthe endplates' and' having longitudinal guide channels,A a double faced wedge projecting from the inner side of 4 each plate and having forwardly projecting bosses of such height and length and disposition that they engage in the guide channels and make Contact on -full compression, a pair of` double faced wedge-blocks interposed between the Wedge faces of therst-namedv blocks and spring means urging the second-named blocks toward the longitudinal center line of the gear.

, 2. In a draft gear, a pair of end plates each having forwardly projecting, longitudinally chan'- neled flanges, a pair of double faced wedgeblocks one associated with the inner face of each of the end plates, such blocks being provided with vertically and forwardly projecting bosses for engagement with thechannels and adapted to en gage as limiting stops on full compression of the gear, a pairv of laterally disposed wedgeblocks each engaging a face of each of the triangular blocks, a rod extending transversely through the gear,'spring resistance means carried onv the -end portions of the rodand bearing on the laterally disposed wedge-blocks, and

-spring seats on the rod for the outer'ends of 1 the springs.

o stop-engaging plates on full compression, and

spring rmeansurging the second-named blocks toward thelongitudinal centerline of the gear.

- kDONALD F. SPROUL.v 

